Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-09-08
GOLDEN PRECEPTS.
EXPLANATORY NOTES BY REV. r.
S. M'ARTHUR, D. D.

Golden Text, Matt. vii, IL.
V. l. Judge not-This prohibition 10
against rash, harsh and censorious Judgment.
Judicial and official judgments are not pro-
hibited; neither is the formation and express
sion Of opinion prohibited. That ye be not
judged.-The judgment warned against is the
Judgment of God. He VINO cherishes an un-
kind spirit against his neighbor makes him
self liable to the severe Judgment of God
luke vi, 81; John viii, Z; Romans, xiv, 10,
13). The impersonal form, however, leaves
to each of us to decide who the Judge is
This makes the judgment all the more sol
emn. Ii is equally certain that those who
indulge in harsh judgments will, by the or
binary laws of life, be the victims of harsh
judgments.
vs. With what Judgment, etc.-This is an
amplidcation of the thought already ex-
pressed. Some have supposed that this part
of the discourse was suggested by the presence
and attitude Of some censorious Pharisees,
one of whom our Lord addresses in the follow
ing verse.
VS.. Why beholdest thou the, etc.-Our
Lord now adopts the direct and personal
form of address. Those who possess the spirit
Of harsh criticism are sure to censure those
who are less open to censure than themselves
mote-This is a minute particle Of wood. It
may stand for small sticks or twigs with
which birds build their nests. Here it stands
for a small fault. But the beam, on the con-
trary, is joist, rafter. Here it refers to a
gross fault. The language is emblematic and
hyperbolical As is beam to a mote, so is
your fault, o critic, to the fault of him whom
you barshly censure Considerest not.-A
stronger word than beholdest. Instead of
gazing intently at the mote in our brothers
eye-the word mote is used to express differ
ence as to size, but not of material-we should
attentively scrutinize the huge beam which is
in our own. This exaggerated form Of ex-
preston presents in a most forceful way the
great difference between our brothers fault
and our own Brother.-Used as among
Christians.
" s. Thou hypocrite-The direct and per-
sonal form of address is still maintained
One who acts part, who assumes character
not his own, who pretends to be rigid moral
ist while he is a great sinner. First cast
This is the true course to pursue. Subject
thyself to the closest scrutiny and examina-
ton Correct thine own faults; then thine
eye will be clear to see at its proper dimen-
sions the fault Of thy brother. This is sound
common sense.
V. G. Here there is a turn in the thought,
showing that we are to judge within proper
limits. There may be laxity in judging on
moral questions which is as censurable as un-
due severity. We may withhold our con-
demnation and thereby incur guilt We are
not to treat bad and good men alike. Dogs,
swine.-The dog among the Jews was un-
clean. The name became term Of reproach
and utter contempt Dogs were the scavengers
Al r1,r--, rIal
they ran wild, had no owners, lived ON refuse,
and had no attachment to any one; they were
ravenous and abominable. Swine were also
unclean. They have no desire higher than to
fill themselves. The term became the synonym
of all that was degraded and degrading.
Dogs and swine well represent the coarse and
brutal foes Of purity and religion. Holy
pearls.-Whatever was dedicated to
Gods service was regarded as holy; whatever
had been offered on the altar. This would
include the shewbread and all fleshy sacrifices
The pearl has been always held in high
esteem. In modern and ancient times 1t oc-
cupies a prominent place among the orna-
ments of kings and palaces We may not
accept any Of the traditions Of its heavenly
origin, and yet may cling to its inherent
beauty and market value. To give the offers
and promises of the Gospel to coarse, sensual,
captious, atheistic men is as if one should cast
that which Is holy to dogs, and pearls to
swine. The tenderest feelings of Christian
experience are not to be spoken Of in mixed
society, neither are the corrections to mems
faults to be given without discretion.
VI. Ask, seek, knock.-We need wisdom
in dealing with boys and girls and men and
women For that wisdom we must pray
We need wisdom so that we may not have
undue care and anxiety for food and raiment;
hence the exhortation to pray. To be critical
and yet charitable is hard matter; hence
the duty of prayer. We have here three
fold command. It presents the duty of
prayer under different aspects, reaching a
us the word task" Ask-Le., make known
your desire to God. Seek is step in advance.
This is to earnestly implore God. Knock
This is to continue asking and seeking.
VS. In this verse the promises of the pre-
ceding verses are repeated They are also
made present reality. He that asketh re-
ceiveth. The tense is present; he receives
here and now. Shall be eopened.-Some man
uscripts make this also present tense, sis
opened" The Revised Version retains the
familiar form.
VS. OIL. We have here great encourage
founded upon the paternal character of God.
Jesus reasons from what earthly and sinful
parents do what the heavenly Father will do
He makes the tenderest relations of earth il
lu,trate, however family, Gods infinite ten
derness and truthfulness. If human love
leads earthly parents to do so much, what
may we not expect that divine love will lead
the heavenly Father to dos From the less he
reasons to the greater, from the sinful to the
sinless, from the earthly to the heavenly,
The interrogation is really a strong afirma-
ton. Even a wicked father will scarcely
give stone to a son who asked for loaf OF
bread. The round, fiat loaf, common In the
east bore resemblance to a fiat stone. Some
kinds Of fish, the eel for instance, resembled
serpents. There Is an advance in the thought
from stone for bread to a serpent for fish.
A stone is useless to hungry child. To give
it to him would be heartleSs. A serpent,
however, is poisonous. To give it to him
would be devilish. We can scarcely con-
ceive of the most hardened father doing it
Now comes, in v. II, question which is
climax. We are fallen, selfish, sinful; yet
we would not do so. God is supremely holy,
just and good. How much more will he give.
This is blessed and comforting reasoning
V. II "The Golden Rule. This is a
simple working RUE, summary statement |
which covers the entire ground. As God
loves US with infinite pity and tenderness, so
we should be consderate to all men. What
soever.-Make the case your own. "Put
yourself In his place" would be the modern
way Of stating this truth. Similar senti-
ments are found in heather and Jewish
writer's Some modern writers have en-
deavored to rob Christ Of the glory Of having
originated this golden rule; but little ex-
animation will show that there is a radical
difference between his language and that Of
other writers. The rabbins said, @What is
offensive to you, do not to another; for this
Is the whole law" Confucius (B c. $50,
Socrates (B. C. 400, Menander (B @. 275) and
others have given US somewhat similar pre-
cepts; but these writers have given simply
the negative side. Christ, on the contrary,
has given us q positive command They
have said what we should not do; Christ has
told us what we should do. This Is the law.
etc.-The whole law is fulfilled In love. This
is its practical application.
POINTS TO BE REMEMBERED.
I. II we pronounce harsh judgments on
H. A.